By Samuel Akpan
Harry Kane has clinched the 2026 Ballon d’Or by the slimmest of margins over Kylian Mbappé, becoming the first Englishman to win the men’s award in 25 years since Michael Owen in 2001.
“Out of a total of several thousand points, the victory was decided by a hair’s breadth,” the organisers stated on the Ballon d’Or website on Thursday after the London ceremony.
France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia confirmed the gap was even tighter than the 41 points separating Rodri and Vinicius Junior in 2024.
The Bayern Munich captain finished ahead of France’s Mbappé and Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal, though the full vote tally has not yet been published.
Kane produced a remarkable 2025/26 season, scoring 73 goals for club and country, according to UEFA figures.
An international jury of journalists decides the award, with each voter ranking 10 players and awarding points from 15 down to one based on individual form, team success, titles, class and fair play.
The 2026 result ranks among the tightest in Ballon d’Or history.
In 2019 Lionel Messi edged Virgil van Dijk by just seven points (686-679), while Rodri led Vinicius by 41 points (1,170-1,129) in 2024.
The closest finishes remain Bobby Charlton’s one-point win over Eusébio in 1966 and Matthias Sammer’s identical margin over Ronaldo in 1996.
By contrast, Ousmane Dembélé claimed the 2025 Ballon d’Or by a comfortable 321 points, finishing with 1,380.
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